Chess game



June 19, 1962 1. MANGANO CHESS GAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. s1, 1960 June 19, 1962 J. MANGANO 3,039,775

cHEss GAME Filed Aug. 51, 1960 I s sheets-sheet z 1 JNVENToR. JOHN MANGANO June 19, 1962 J. MANGANO CHESS GAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 3l, 1960 "n Puh INVENToR. JOHN MANGANO A ORNE Y United States Patent Gtliice 3,039,775 y Patented June 19, 1962 3,039,775 CHESS GAME John Mangano, 166 Thompson' St., New York, N.Y. Filed Aug. s1, 1960, ser. No. 53,271 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-136) The invention herein disclosed relates to games of the rapid chess type in which the time taken for making a play is charged to the player.

Objects `of the invention are to provide simple, practical timer mechanism which will show the time being taken for each play and which can be combined with or built into the game board without adding objectionable bulk or weight to the game.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide a game board having such timing mechanism incorporated within it which will be attractive in appearance and otherwise desirable as a game construction.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide a game incorporating the desirable features mentioned, which will be of low cost construction and light weight in character for convenient handling.

Other desirable objects accomplished by the invention and the novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts through which such objects are attained are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification. f

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate -a present practical embodiment of the invention in the form of a rapid transit chess game. Structure however may be modified and changed yas regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter delined and claimed.

FIG. l is a plan view of a chess game embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 isa side elevation, with supporting legs broken away.

FIG. 3 is a partly broken plan view of the timer unit removed from the game board and showing the traveling switch member in the timing operation.

FIG. 4 is -a broken front elevation of the same.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the timer on substantially the plane of line 5-5 of FIG. 4 with the traveling switch member engaged with the feed screw in the timing cycle, las in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 -is a similar cross sectional view showing the solenoid actuated to release the traveling switch carriage from the feed screw.

FIG. 7 is a general wiring diagram.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the game Iboard made up in the form of a hollow table having a fiat top chess board 10 with inclined ends 11, 12, sloping to troughs 13, 14 for holding the game pieces used by the players.

This construction provides an enclosed chamber 15 for housing the timing mechanism, which is indicated diagrammatically at 16 in FIG. l.

The inclined panels 11, 12 at the ends o-f the playing field have transparency numbers 17 terminating in an Out designation 18 placed to conveniently show to each player the time taken and the final penalty of plays made by the individual players.

Pushbuttons 19 and 20 on the ends of the board, in convenient reach of the players provide means accessible to each player for stopping the time count on the completion of each play.

Switches for controlling various functions of the machine -are mounted on one end of the table, including an o-n and oif or main control switch 21 and chime, buzzer and bell switches 22, 23, 24.

The timer mechanism comprises a motor 25 driving by belt connection 26 a feed screw 27 engaged by a half nut 28 on a traveling carriage 29.

This carriage is in the form of a sleeve 30 mounted to rock and slide on the supporting rod 31 parallel to the feed screw. i

The sleeve 30 has a dependent portion 32 carrying a contact button or brush 33 engageable with successive contacts 34 which are connected with lamps 35, FIG. 7, beneath the transparent indicators 17 and 18.

The traveling contact 33 is held in eng-agement with the stationary indicator contacts 34 as in FIG. 5 by a rail or track 36 in overriding engagement with a transversely related roller 37 upon the carriage.

To reverse effect the carriage is rocked to release the half nut 28 from feed screw 27, as shown in FIG. 6, by a rod or track 38 engaging a transversely related roller 39 on the opposite side of the carriage, this track being carried -by arms 40, pivoted on end portions of the supporting rod 31 and tensioned in the nut disengaging direction by spring 41.

The nut-engaging track 36 is carried by a rocking frame 42 pivoted on a center 43, FIGS. 5 and `6 which is tenf sioned in the nut engaging relation by spring 44, the extent of this movement being governed by stop Screw 45 engageable by rocking frame 42.

To effect release of the half nut from the feed screw a solenoid 46 is provided, connected by linkage 47 with the rocking, track carrying frame 42, arranged to rock this frame just sufliciently to lift the half nut 28 off the feed screw 27.

When solenoid 46 is energized by operation of either pushbutton 19, 20 to lift the nut element off the fee-d screw the carriage is immediately returned to the starting or zero position by a pulley 48, FIGS. 3' and 4, tensioned by a torque spring 49 and connected by cord or tape 50 with the sliding carriage.

Each time the carriage is advanced by the feed screw this torque spring will be tensioned ready to retract the carriage the instant it is released from the feed screw.

The forward or outward travel of the carriage is auto matically stopped by engagement of the carriage with a stop switch 51.

The motor, feed screw and switch contacts are designed and co-related to accurately display the passage of time, in this instance ten seconds, on the signal panels 11 and 12 and these are conveniently located in inclined relation at opposite ends of the board where they are readily observable by the players.

With the chime, buzzer and bell switches 22, 23, 24, FIG. 7, closed, the chime 52 will be sounded when the eight second contact 34 is reached, the buzzer 53 will be sounded when the nine second contact is reached and the bell 54 will be sounded when the ten seconds allowed for play is up and the Gut contact 55 is reached by traveling contact 33.

It will seen from the wiring diagram that the motor 25 is connected directly across the line when switch 21 is closed so as to be held in proper time. The stop switch 51 is connected in series with the motor so as to automatically shut off the motor at the end of the outward travel of the timer carriage.

The solenoid 46 for releasing the carriage from the feed screw is connected as shown in FIG. 7 to be operable by either one of the player buttons 19, 20.

The entire timer mechanism is light in weight-takes up but small space and can be readily incorporated in the table structure.

The starting switch 21 and the cut out switches 22, 23, 24 for the chime, buzzer `and stop bell are conveniently mounted at the end of the board in easy reach 0f either player. l

The playing board may be of simple or ornate design and is made the more attractive by the flashing time indicators' at opposite ends of the same and the inclined indicator panels serve a further purpose of directing the pawns or other playing elements into the end troughs 13, 14 provided for 'holding the same.

What is claimed is:

1. A game 011 the order of rapid transit chess comprising the combination of a gameboard marked for movement of playing pieces thereon, a series of time denoting signals comprising transparent panels bearing time indications, means for illuminating said signals in succession to indicate elapsed -timel taken for different plays and including a succession of contacts connected with the respe-ctive signals, a movable contact, cooperable therewith, a carriage carrying` said movable contact and a motor for driving said carriage in a direction to traverse the movable contact over the successively arranged time denoting signal contacts,`a control for releasing said carriage from driven connection with said motor, mean-s for automatically returning said carriage when released from the motor to a starting position with the movable contact at the beginning of lsaid successively arranged signal contacts and means for automatically i stopping said motor when said carriage reaches the end of its motor driven travel over the successive signal contacts, said panels being disposed in the positions' of the players at opposite ends of the gameboa-rd, with lamps behind said panels connected with said successive contacts.

y2. A game on the order of rapid transit chess cornprising the combination of a gameboard marked for movement of playing pie-ces thereon, a series of time denoting signals comprising transparent panels bearing time indications, means for illuminating said signals in succession to indicate elapsed time taken for different plays and including a succession of contacts connected with the respective signals, a movable contact, cooperab-le therewith, a carriage carrying said movable contact and a motor for driving said carriage in a direction to traverse the movable contact over the successively arranged time denoting signal contacts, a control for releasing said carriage from driven connection with said motor, means for yautomatically returning said carriage when released from the motor to a starting position with the movable contact `at the beginning ofV said successively arranged signal contacts and means for automatically stopping said motor when saidcarriage reaches the end of its travel over the successive signal contacts,v including Va limit switch in the motor circuit positioned for engagement by the contact carrying carriage and said control for releasing the carriage from driven connection with the motor including a magnet for disconnecting the carriage from driven connection with the motor and a switch connected therewith and `manually operable at any poin-t in thel travel of the carriage in respect to the successively arranged signal contacts, said panels being disposed in the positions of the players at opposite ends of the gameboard, with lamps behind saidV panels connected with said successive contacts. l j

3. A game on the order of rapid transit chess com-y prising the combination of a gameboard marked for movement of playing pieces thereon, a series of time denoting signals lcomprising transparent panels bearing time indications, means for illuminating said signals in succession to yindicate elapsed time taken for different plays and including a succession of contacts connected with the respective signals, a movable contact, cooperable therewith, `a carriage carrying said movable contact and a motor for `driving said carriage in a direction to traverse 4the movable lContact over the successively arranged time denoting signal contacts, a control for releasing said carriage from driven connection with said motor, means for automatically returning said carriage when released from the motor to a starting position with the movable contact at the beginning of said successively arranged signal contacts and means for automatically stopping said motor when said carriage reaches the end of its travel over the successive signal contacts, the means for driving said carriage including a feed screw operated by the motor and the control for releasing the carriage from driven connection with the moto-r further including a half nut connected with the carriage and engageable with the feed screw and supporting means Y for said half nut shiftable to lift the half nut from engagement with the feed screw, said panelsvbeing disposed in the positions of the players at opposite ends rof the gameboard, with lamps behind said panels connected with said successive contacts.

4. A game on the order of rapid transit chess cornprising thecombination of a gameboard marked for movement of playing pieces thereon, a series of time denoting signals comprising transparent panels bearing time indications, means for illuminating said signals in succession to indicate elapsed time taken for different plays and including a succession of contacts connected with the respective signals, a movable contact, cooperable therewith, a carriage carrying said movable contact and a motor for driving said carriage in a direction to 1 traverse the movable contact over the successively arranged time denoting signal contacts, a control for releasing said carriage from driven connection with said motor, means for automatically returning said carriage when released from the motor to a starting position with the movable contact at the beginning of said successively arranged signal contacts and means for automatically stopping said motor when `said carriage reaches the end of its travel over the successive signal contacts, said means for automatically returning the carriage to starting position including a spring tensioned pulley and a cord connection from said pulley to said carriage arranged to eifect spring tensioning of the pulleyA in the movement of the carriage eiiected by said motor, s'aid panels being disposed -in the positions of the players at opposite ends of the gameboard, with lamps behind said panels connected with said successive contacts.

5. The invention according to claim 1 with `different characteristic sound signalsconnected with certain of said successive contacts and switch means by which the different sound signals can be selectively individually cut into or out of operative relation. 6. The invention according to claim 1 in which said carriage includes, a sleeve, a guide rod on which said sleeve may slide and rock, rollers carried by said sleeve at opposite sides of said guide rod, tracks engaging said rollers, spring means urging said tracks by engagement with said rollers to rock the sleeve in opposite directions, -a feed screw operated by said motor, a half nutl on the sleeve engageable with said feed screwA in a rocked position of the sleeve established by the spring tensioned tracks and said control for releasing the carriage from driven connection with the motor including means for shifting one of said tracks in a direction to effect `rocking of the sleeve to lift the half nut `from engagement with the feed screw.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 438,653 Striemer Oct. 21, 1890 1,857,629 Epstein May l0, 1932 2,211,868 Steenbeek Aug. 20, 1940 l2,356,057 Householder Aug. 15, 1944 2,394,661 Brunner Feb. 12, 1946 2,490,649 Polis Dec. 6, 1949 2,587,381 Peterson lFeb. 26, 1952 2,592,897 Heinoo Apr. 15, 1952 2,757,934 Dunbar Aug. .7, 1956 2,799,505 Lyons July 16, 1957 2,906,333 Ritzenthaler Sept. 29, 1959 

